Dovahkiin Quest
by Deviate's Fish
Summary: This is a RP log from the Quest I ran on SB, back at the beginning of 2012. It's about the Dragonborn, obviously.


Dovahkiin Quest First

It was a deafening roar, one which shook you down to the bone. Your very soul shivered as bolts of fiery energy rained down from all sides, the physical manifestation of the rage of the being before you. You ducked and rolled, using every skill you have earned over the course of your life, knowing that what hung on the outcome of this battle was far greater than your life.

The fog cleared as a resonating shout of "LOK VAH KOOR" blasted away the fuzzy drowsiness from the corners of your vision. The smell of fire tickled your nostrils. Everything was ablaze, from the spiritual surroundings to the great whale-bone bridge; even the fires themselves seem to be alit with agony from even brighter flames eating away at them. Your attire was hot to your skin. You could feel the sweat flow all over your body, a discomfort you pushed away as far as you could. Droplets rolled down your brow, though you couldn't tell if they were sweat or tears. It hurt to keep your eyes open.

As you rolled forward, your armor sizzled against your skin. The mighty dragon before you took another breath at you, which you dodged by strafing to a side. Around you, the cries of the dead were like thousands of tiny prick at your ears. These noble warriors and heroes of your people were being devoured where they stood. Though only souls of the dead, they too were burning under the heated glaze of the World Eater.

You twirled your weapon in your hands, almost too afraid to go ahead and fight. Against such a powerful monstrosity, what is this little piece of metal, wood and leather going to do? You felt like an ant before a giant, so terribly insignificant.

The beast's jagged black scales gleamed in the fire light, even as hundreds of meteors rained down from all sides, created simply on his whim. Reality crackled and screamed as the first son of the dragon god tore and rend the spiritual realm asunder. For all who were present, who were still alive and hanging by a thread, it was as if the end was nigh. From here, the World Eater will devour and conquer, as is his right as the first born. It was in his very soul, the very being of his is created to conquer.

Yet amidst all of this terrible destruction, you saw the dragon's arrogance. He believed that he had already won. He was no longer weaving in and out of the fog, calling it like a blanket of safety to wrap around him. He was not diverting his attention away from you and your allies to snatch up wandering spirits to keep him going. He thought he had won. Under your worn, battered helm, you allowed yourself a vicious grin.

With the last ounces of your strength, you leapt forward, allowing the dragon soul within you to take hold and guide your movements. You were prophesied for this. A thousand years of planning cumulating to this moment, as the world stood still, as if only you and the beast existed. All else paused to watch, as in the last few seconds, you plunged your bare fists into the beast's eyes and roared in defiance. The world shook, and everything that had come to a halt immediately resumed with a redoubled effort.

You expected it to come, the moment you tore into the beast's head, crushed its skull and splattered its brains all across the field. It was the moment that the physical manifestation of this beast had come to an end. But it was not the end of the fight.

Before he expired, the beast cursed you between his coughs of horrid laughter that shook even the very air you breathed; and he shattered the planes around you. Even as you drank in his soul, taking in power of the Thu'um that sung greater than any other, Alduin's power hurled you across the spiritual realms…

…and then, blackness.

The battle had been dire, but before you slipped into unconsciousness, you thought you had sensed yourself drinking in the World Eater's soul, giving you a boost of power beyond anything you had ever felt before. But you had no time to savor this feeling, because you slipped into unconsciousness, only to wake…

[ ] …In the middle of a desert.  
[ ] …In the middle of a jungle.  
[ ] …In the middle of an island.

You were awakened by a harsh, warm wind that brushed sand across your face. Tiny pebbles rolled over your eyes and nose, getting into the crevices that you don't want tiny things to get into. It caused you to bolt upwards and sneeze, and brush away the stray annoyances. The sun shone brightly down on you, like a burning ball of alchemical explosions that you always thought it was. It was warmer than you had felt in a long time, far more than Skyrim ever was. From the smell of the freshness that closed in on blood and salt, you could tell you were next to a sea or ocean.

You are on a beach, half covered in sand, algae, and a mix of other things found in the ocean and on a beach. You looked around and saw flora similar to what you had seen back during your time traveling south of your homeland, long before you had decided to take that fateful trip upwards towards Skyrim. You frowned as you looked closer, because while these plants were similar they were not exactly the same to what you were used to.

There were minuet movements in the thickets beyond the closest bushes of tropical plants. It was so natural that you might have thought it was just a swaying of the wind, or some small animal, but you knew better. After all the unconventional combat you've experienced in the woods, you noticed the slight changes in colors, the odd flashes that were meant for camouflage were like tiny specks in your notice.

If only for a few seconds, you saw them.

They were small and short, tinier than even the small Khajiit rogues. They wore armors that your expert eye noticed were made for close combat, but lacked many metals as if they lacked a stable source of iron, but had a small supply. Most of their attires were of wood or thick cloth, which is strange compared to those you have met before, except for perhaps the Falmer who used Mud Crab shells for armor.

From the ways their lithe, petite thighs coiled and tightened, you think you have perhaps a few seconds before they leapt at you. You could spot two, maybe one more, in their green and brown armor, but considering their size, you think you could probably fight them off. However, you are so far from home, they might be the only ones who know where you are. Still, they are armed and seem not exactly like the type to talk first—

—In those few seconds, you make a decision fueled by adrenaline from your warrior days and intellect from your mage days, and…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …raise your hands in a gesture of peace.  
[ ] …raise your guard, but call out to them.  
[ ] …Write-in.

You do not initiate a confrontation, but you still alert these humanoids of your awareness of their presence. In half a second, you have scrambled up a hasty defense with your shield raised and Wuuthrad in hand. You are a warrior of open confrontation, not of counter-ambushes, so you were almost caught flat-footed when three hooks shot out of the green canopy from separate directions at you.

Your expert eyes noted that they were iron hooks attached to long, thick ropes of some sort of reinforced leather. With your shield raised and your instincts aware, you swat the hooks, which were meant to immobilize you, aside with a single swipe of your shield.

The warriors behind the greenery are visible to you now and your earlier theories were proved correct. They were scale-like armor over thick, padded clothes, indicating a lack of certain resources in the development of their armors. They wielded strange weapons that were thin sheets of iron, folding and unfolding together. There were six of them in total, and they did not look all that friendly. Their faces were painted with a foreign white material that made them look like ghosts, with the area around their eyes blackened in something of an intimidating sight. Their eyes were slanted like elves, but they had round eyes like most humanoids, which added to your curiosity.

But you realized you would have a tough time communicating. Their language was different from anything you were used to or knew of. From the pitch and tone of their voices, you thought they might have been females, but you couldn't understand what they were saying. It was a language of high-pitched tones and of a stranger grammatical arrangement than you knew of, so you already noticed that you would be unable to figure out how to communicate that you came in peace.

These female warriors leaped at you with grace and speed that were almost on level of your werewolf comrades. Without being weighed down by heavy armor, they moved much faster than you were usually used to. It was moments that you realized they used their speed and grace to compensate for what they lacked, which probably meant that their blows might not be too strong, though they were not too fast that you couldn't follow their movements. In their small squads, they moved together as if they had been training to move thus their whole lives, which added to their illusion of speed.

It looks like they were pulling their weapons out in all seriousness, considering you a full threat. You decide to…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Calm them down with…  
[ ] …Slaughter these upstarts by…  
[ ] …Write-in?

They are probably just girls from what you could tell of their size. If these girls were protecting their land, then that means their mothers and fathers were away, or perhaps were all already dead. To kill them or even hurt them would be a pity and you were above that. Instead, you decided to calm them down with magic, so that you could convey your intentions.

To save you the trouble, and them the hurt, you thought that it would be best if you used your illusionary skills to calm their minds into conversing with you. There is a grand spell of Harmony that would allow you this, and you start on it immediately.

Your motions at sheathing your weapon and buckling your shield caused the warriors to pause for a moment. They looked at you in confusion, but that lasted only a second. Their training kicked in just as you began to silently chant the spell of Harmony. Six hooks shot at you, binding your limbs to your body and immobilizing you. With your hands bound, you are unable to finish the spell, which is interrupted and canceled.

One of the warriors kicked your ribs, but it probably hurt her foot more than you because of your ebony plate armor. She growled in an inquiring tone at you, but you couldn't understand what she was saying.

You speak in Imperial at her, causing her face to scrunch up.

Another warrior placed a hand on the first one. This one had the bearings of a leader and she seemed to have commanded the rest of them of something. She directed one of them to search your belongings and the rest to hoist you up and carry you away, but you…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …break free of these bindings with your awesome strength.  
[ ] ...burn these ropes away with magic.  
[ ] …Let them take your stuff and take you away.  
[ ] …Write-in?

At the sight of the tiny warriors fumbling through your belongings, you growled struggled against the bindings they wrapped around you. The girls were fast; the bindings they wrapped you in were tightly tied in intricate knots that you found yourself unable to loosen or untie. But the moment they started going through your pack, you found yourself seeing red. Was it the silly looks one of them had when they pulled out Konahrik? Was it the sound of the Grand Soul Gems clinking against each other in their hands? Was it their wide-eyed fascination tainted with greed when they found your satchel filled with gold?

Whatever it was, you found yourself unable to hold back your primal strength. The bindings might have been able to hold half-ton, wild beasts into place, and you had no doubt these could have bound even giants. But you were stronger than that, to your own surprise. There is a mix of many things within you, many powers back you. But even without your blessings from Talos, curses from Hircine, and power of dragon souls, you were a powerful man. Compared to your might, they might as well have wrapped you in straw.

So with a single, soft grunt and before any of the girls could react, you snapped the dozen bindings on you into pieces and…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …knock the girls out by…?  
[ ] ...kill the girls by…?  
[ ] …write-in?

The girls' faces all contorted in shock; clearly they had never seen anyone break out of their holds before. You didn't want to actually hurt them, but rummaging through your belongings simply crossed the line. There was some kind of sacred rule for adventurers that stated that the inventory was something holy.

With that, you crossed your arms and frowned at them deeply. Within your mind, you could almost hear yourself saying, "Daughters, I am disappoint." But your strange stance only put them on the edge further.

Instead of waiting this time, they launched themselves at you again. This time, it was not coordinated like before, probably due to their shock of what you had done. Unlike before, their illusion of speed was broken, yet they were still faster than almost all of the opponents you have encountered before.

You sighed a soft sigh in disappointment, "Fus."

It was enough.

This was the primal language and instrument of the children of the entity who ruled over time and space. A wave of change in reality washed out of your lips, like a wave of pure force. The warriors who leaped at you all stopped in mid-air as if they had slammed into a solid wall for half a second, before being brushed away by the unrelenting force that hurled all of them more than a dozen yards away. Their discipline surprised you; none of them made any audible groans as they lie sprawled all over the place.

You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …stripe them down like they were going to do to you.  
[ ] ...gloat over them even if they can't understand you.  
[ ] …write-in?

You decided that you don't want to rip the girls' arms off, so you utter only the first word of power, "**Zun**," at them. It was enough to further disorient the girls before they could get to their feet. It also hurled all of their weapons out of their hands. Your eyebrows rose considerably when you noticed how many weapons flew from them. Dozens of pins, fans, knives, darts, knuckles, and pouches that you didn't doubt contained poisons few from _each_ of the girls.

Thank Akatosh it was day and these warriors were not coming at you with lethal intent, some of those things look like they could kill you with a prick.

The decision to leave was a simple one, so you repacked your bags (an action that you have become very adept with) and jogged off as if a mother bear was chasing you. These strange natives didn't seem like elves, but they were definitely more humanoid than Argonians, Khajiits, or Orcs under all that war-paint. From the way their armor looked, you might have thought them to be less resourceful Blades…

That caused you to pause.

You remember the last remnants of the Blades well. After all, you did…

[ ] …Kill Paarthurnax for them.  
[ ] …Kill them for wanting to harm Paarthurnax.  
[ ] …Disband the order.  
[ ] …Kill the Greybeards for them.  
[ ] …Something else or even all of the above?

Whatever the case, you found that you were on an island. It was small enough that you circled it once, moving at speeds that you were sure even the girl-warriors could not maintain and follow at. You started just before noon (from the position of the Sun in the sky) and lapped yourself about half way to sunset.

There was only one village on this island, which was built uphill from a small bay on the other side of the island. The bay couldn't really be called a harbor because there wasn't even a single pier built there, though several small fishing boats lined the beach. The village itself seemed to be small, with perhaps less than two hundred people at its peak. From the way its maintenance seemed to be mostly ignored and the lack of people around, you doubt if even half that amount of people are still around.

There were some people running around rather frantically, as if on some kind of alert. Since you found no others on the island except yourself, it is probably because of you that the village was in high alert. You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Write-in?

When you confronted the last of the Blades about Paarthurnax, you told them that the mighty son of Akatosh was under your protection. The victims of the crimes he perpetrated are long since dead, and he atoned for them by teaching humanity the Thu'um and not making trouble for a thousand years. Then you offered them a choice. They could serve the Dragonborn in his most noble goal of killing Thalmor and placing sweet rolls atop their severed heads, or they could fade into obscurity.

This didn't work well for the two, and the truth was, neither of them were groomed or trained for decision making in the first place. Both were made to be soldiers in one way or another, and that caused them to have a sort of tunnel-vision when concerning dragons and their status of being dead or alive. They were set in their ways; their ultimatum for you was to either kill the dragon, or you would be no longer welcome in Sky Haven Temple, or any of the other Blades' establishments. But they were an order made to serve the Dragonborn, not to command you! Their audacity caused you a spark of anger, but you kept your word.

From that day on, the Blade faded into obscurity.

Well… you might have gotten a little more angry and accidentally blown up Sky haven Temple in a single Shout. But no one has proof of this, so who is to know, right?

Anyway, the small village was a strange one, but not so strange that you would have found it ridiculous. It was built in a line, with something like a village leader's house at the very end, at the highest point of the village. On the other side, there is a circular village square, with a strange totem pole at its center. There is a single being depicted on it, a warrior woman like those that you had met earlier.

Using detect life, you found that almost the entire village was around the totem pole, doing some kind of kneeling and praying, from what it looked like. This behavior was something of a curiosity, since even in Skyrim, people didn't spend all day praying to their gods. That led you to another line of thought: were the girls women you met earlier some kind of warrior-priest mixture?

You applied the [Muffle] and the [Invisibility] spells on yourself before venture forth. To everyone else, you should not exist in their five senses anymore and they would only be able to find you through magic.

When you walked around the village, you slipped several cursory glances through the mud and straw hovels and huts around the area. They were strange and primitive compared to what you were used to—closer to the Falmer than to Nordic architecture. There were many strange tools that you have not seen in even other fishing villages in Skyrim, but you could probably guess their uses. There were smells of dried fruits, a sort of steamed grain, and fish that permeated through the houses. The floors were dry, but not as comfortable as those in Skyrim. In Skyrim, the houses were made for heating and with a basement, so that the floors that you feel when you walk in would almost always be warm. That was a slight guilty comfort that you missed, if only a little.

You walked down to the village square, finding a little more than a total of fifty people there in total. Most of them were elders and children too young to do any real work, but about a dozen of them were dressed like the warriors you met earlier. You noticed some of the soot and marred war-paint on them, and thought that some of them were the warriors from earlier. They were speaking to an elderly man who seemed to be glancing from the leader of the warriors to the top of the totem. He seemed to be frustrated, but half way through what seemed to be a report, he perked up and looked rather elated.

You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Write-in?

Fighting off the urge to pick up every broom and cabbage that you passed, you strolled casually towards the middle of the crowd of old people and children. The leader of the warriors must have had some kind of supernatural sense, because she tensed up the moment you passed her. Her eyes scanned the crowd before searching all the shadows, looking for an intruder amongst their midst.

When you stood right next to the elder who acted like a village sage, you allowed your veil of invisibility to fall. Your steps were strong, but gentle on the earth; you strolled methodically _out of thin air_, staring at the totem pole as if without a care in the world.

There was a soft clink as you turned over your shoulder to see the villagers' reactions. As if as one, they all nearly jumped out of their skin in surprise. Even the warrior leader was wide-eyed at your appearance.

Yet just as quickly, the village sage uttered a few harsh words to his village before saying something soothing to you. Then the whole village, down to the last child, bowed to you, kneeling with their knees and forehead to the ground. You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Something else.

"Do you understand this?" You asked in Imperial.

"Do you understand this?" You asked again in a different language.

"Do you understand this?" Is probably what you asked in Akaviri, but you only learned the basics of the language from a worn-down book that was missing half its pages. At this, the villagers' faces changed from a fascinated confusion to a fascinated curiosity.

The village sage nodded at once and bowed his back, which was probably not good for him considering his age, and said something in his quick and fluent language. It was hard for you to understand, but now that you recognize their recognition of Akaviri, or some close cousin of it, you realized he was responding in affirmation.

In your mind, you marked them down as some kind of distant relative of the Akaviri. Their most distinctive features seem to be the slightly different colors of their skin tones, their more slanted eyes, and their smaller noses. Compared to the giant noses that the Nords have, you thought this was a welcoming change.

You were happy enough at this that you took off your ebony helm. Only when you took it off did you remember that it was made so that none could see into it to see anything more than your eyes glowing with an eerie power. It showed too, because in that moment, the villagers all gasped, realizing that you were a man and not whatever else they thought you were.

Yet, they still kowtowed to you as if you were a savior to their village or something.

At your look of confusion, the village sage said something to you and then glanced at the warrior totem. He was trying to make a connection between the two of you, but even in his slow way of talking, it was difficult to even break down his words to understand them.

As he talked, the sage stroked his rather large beard. He had an equally large hair… thing that looked just like his beard, now that you thought about it. Perhaps it was a local custom? Whatever the case, he addressed you by a strange title, which was not even close to what you thought the Akaviri word for 'Guest' or 'Friend' or something like that would be. Still, apparently the whole village adapted to this and they all greeted you by that title, though many of them were too meek to even approach you.

Pah! As if you were scary or something!

When you pointed at the sage, he introduced himself slowly as 'Oyaji'. He seemed to want to lead you to the biggest house in the village at the top of the hill, but you also pointed at the leader of the warrior. She bowed and the Oyaji seemed to say some flowery words about how she was a great warrior. After a while, you got bored and tried to ask for her name. The result was a slight confusion between everyone, but you learned she was 'Suki'.

You were brought to what looked like a dining room, but without any chairs. Instead, everyone sat on cushions. The floors were made from woven straw, which actually felt kind of nice on your bare feet. You had to follow their strange custom of taking your boots off when you entered.

When you offered them two bottles of your mead, the village sage offered you some cabbages in return. Suki was suspicious of you, but after she took a sip of the mead, her eyes widened and babbled to her closest subordinate for half a second, before realizing what she was doing and recomposing herself. She looked rather embarrassed, and from the look that Oyaji was shooting her, she was probably going to get a scolding later. You laughed politely and motioned for her to take the bottle or share it with her friends. She bowed to you again in thanks.

These people sure bow a lot; you've been getting bows from everyone in the village!

The actual learning of the language was not as difficult as you thought it was, but you only learned words of basic conversation. Difficult phrases like "time manipulation" would probably be out of your vocabulary for a while. All of this only took you a little under two weeks, seeing as the words and grammatical structure of this language was almost exactly the same as Akaviri, only that their pronunciation and slang was different. There were many simpler ways of saying things that these villagers used, rather than the flowery words the Akaviri books used in your experience.

During this time, you also found yourself getting to like this quaint little village (though Suki seems to sulk whenever you call this village "quaint"). The island is called Kyoshi Island, and the warriors were also named after the island, aptly named Kyoshi Warriors. It was named this way after the warrior woman on the totem pole, apparently. They seemed to relate you to Kyoshi for some reason, thought you haven't really understood why. It might have something to do with the title they seem adamant to call you by. In the mean time, you found yourself…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH THE VILLAGE!  
[ ] …Practicing with the Kyoshi Warriors.  
[ ] …Exploring the island.  
[ ] …Playing with the children or something else inane.  
[ ] …Write-in?

Over the next few days, you continued to work at learning the language of Kyoshi Island. Supposedly and according to the inhabitants of the village, everyone else in the world spoke this version of Akaviri. You kept your doubts to yourself, thinking that it was awfully egotistical of them, but when you watched the stars, you couldn't help but doubt yourself.

When you traveled around Tamriel the stars would often be different, having moved slightly in the sky. The angle might have been different, but in the end, you could still see the same constellations. However, now…

…now, you can't see any of that. It was as if someone had wiped the sky blank and created new stars in their place. You knew the theories; that they stars were each a realm as great as, if not greater than, Nirn. The very thought of everything changing so much… it frightened you. Even Alduin didn't have this kind of power, to rewrite what might as well have been the whole universe—that kind of power belonged in the realm of the gods.

But if they truly did rewrite the world, why are you still here? Why did you survive? You wondered those nights, as you watched the skies…

In these days that you absorbed the language of the Kyoshi Island like a sponge, you found yourself being stared at by almost the whole village. Sure you learned quickly, but that was because of your scholarly training; the other mages at the College could probably do the same, under these conditions. Or they could learn even faster.

Oyaji, the village elder, was often busy overseeing the different aspects of the village. Considering how many of them were either too old or too young to work, you found yourself feeling rather guilty if you pulled him away from his work. The first time you tried to talk to him, he replied, "I apologize deeply, Avatar, but winter is coming."

That was a curious term, 'Avatar'. Later, you approached Suki about it, after she had finished her archaic training. You asked her, "What exactly is this, 'Avatar'?"

"Y-you mean, you don't know?" Suki looked at you strangely. She fumbled for a moment before righting herself and finding the words to reply, "I had thought you'd always known… I apologize, Avatar."

Why do people keep apologizing? And bowing?! Theirs is a culture that is surely subservient and strange. The Dragon Soul within you yearned to conquer them…

Suki continued, "I am not well versed in history, but the Avatar is… it is hard to explain in words that you would understand."

"Try," you grunted in the rough Akaviri you had learned lately.

"In each generation, there is an Avatar, born to bend the four elements and bring harmony to the world," Suki recited before sulking, "though that hasn't been the case in the last fifty years." She looked sad.

"What's wrong, Suki?" You asked her. Was it because you were too forward, saying her name rather than whatever title they told you she had? She was blushing at you. Girl-warriors are strange creatures.

"Fifty… fifty years ago," Suki swallowed and spoke slowly, as if trying to recall painful history, "The Avatar Aang returned to our world, only to be brought down by the great enemy, an evil man who was called the Dragon of the West. He… this man was—I mean—he is powerful. Since then, he has killed the next two," here she said a word that you didn't understand. You said this, and she explained. After a few terse moments, you realized she was talking about 'incarnations' of the 'Avatar', as if it was a being that reincarnated every time it dead.

And she thought you were the next incarnation.

"Oh," you muttered, unsure of what else to say.

Suki tried to teach you more about the local history, but since the death of Avatar Aang fifty years ago, Kyoshi Island has not had much contact with the outside world. Youths who had grown up here left the island, and only a few had ever returned, worn and old. Their tales were often unheeded by the young. This left little in actual local history, other than a little tale about the Avatar named Kyoshi who had founded the place. Supposedly, there was a cliff that she had created when she moved this island away from the main-land continent. Tearing the land asunder like that was supposed to leave a lasting wound even in the 'Spiritual World', as Suki called it. This 'Spiritual World' reminded you of the qualities of your battleground with Alduin.

By the end of the week, you had learned enough about their language and the basic local and world history to know at least what they thought the world was like. It was not a pretty place. They seemed to believe that the world was on the brink of being totally torn in two by a struggle between a 'Fire Nation' and an 'Earth Kingdom'.

You found that one of the only ways of commerce this village had was fishing. They fished something called 'Elephant Koi'. These fish were giant, larger than even dire-bears. The island seemed to also have a giant, towering protector that the villagers called 'Unagi', but it seemed to be actively evading you.

When Oyaji found out that you had learned enough of their language to converse, he came to you to request an audience. He bowed low and intoned, "Lord Avatar, if you have a moment, may I… inquire of you something?"

You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …nod, sure, you have time.  
[ ] …ignore him and go hunt the Unagi.  
[ ] …push him away and look for the girls.  
[ ] …Write-in?

You nodded to Oyaji, "Yes, I have time, if you haven't noticed."

"Yes," the old man blinked numbly. He looked down for a moment, as if questioning himself before smiling up at you gently, "I know I overstep my bounds, Lord Avatar, but what is your purpose here? You have been here for three of four parts of a month, honoring our village with your presence. But with the world the way it is…"

He trailed off, as if he had been around the world himself and was reliving many of the most painful memories he had. Considering you had recently learned of a hundred-year-old war that has been raging and escalating without stop, you could guess what he was thinking.

However, before you could say or do anything, one of the Kyoshi Warriors, a young girl of fifteen winters named Yuki, burst into the room. She glanced at you and then at Oyaji before hastily kneeling onto one knee, keeping her glance to the floor, and said, "E-excuse me, my lords, b-but there's an emergency! A fleet, I mean, a vanguard of at least twenty of the black-iron Fire Nation ships are approaching and will be here in minutes, I…" She stopped. You could see that her shoulders were trembling with either excitement or fear. Or perhaps she was full of both, but you…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Time to run away!  
[ ] …Write-in?

"I'm still not sure I'm your Avatar," you mutter to Oyaji off-handedly.

At this, the old man seemed to come to a stop.

You turned to Yuki and asked her to lead you to the ships. She had also heard what you said and looked like a gentle breeze would have knocked her over. However, her training came through and she gave you a single nod before dashing away.

You followed her quickly, down to the bay area, where there were already five giant ships that had landed. Each of them was greater than any of the ships you had seen before. In Skyrim, ships were made from only wood and couldn't hold much without giving away to lower efficiency, speed or maneuverability. That was not the case here, as each of these ships were made not only several sizes larger, but also seemed to glide across the waters, leaving only thin trails of black smoke in the sky.

The several children saw you and were about to follow, but then a squad of Kyoshi Warriors (you couldn't tell them apart when they had their identical war-paint and armor on, except for Suki) held them back. Strangely enough, the warriors were glancing at you with more suspicious stares than at the foreign boats—considering how Suki had said the Fire Nation was considered evil, you wondered what changed.

And then, a strange mechanism worked on the metal ships, where the hull fell open, making a flight of metal stairs for the ship's inhabitants to exit upon. The others also followed in unison.

Powerful looking soldiers in heavy plate armor colored with black and red borders exited in two lines. After eight columns came through, they parted again in unison with discipline from long years of military training. Each wore a curved sword—_curved swords!_—on their hip and wielded a steel tipped spear. They were a menacing looking bunch, but they stood still and didn't seem to emit any hostile intent.

A moment later, a slow, methodical clanging of steel stomping against steel rang to your ears. You had almost missed him: it was a man in almost completely black armor from head to toe, not so different from how you are now, decked in full Ebony plate. Through the thin slits of the mouth guard of the man's helmet, you could hear a smooth, methodical yet labored breathing, as if he was on his last leg. Hearing each breathe felt like death was tickling you at the back of your neck.

This leader stood atop the stairs for a moment, surveying the bay before stepping down quickly until he was only five feet away from you. He stood confident, with no visible weapons in sight, yet not cocky. Unlike most leaders you met, this one didn't have a herald to announce him. Instead, he announced himself loudly, "I am Lord Commander Zhao," breathe, "Leader of this Vanguard of the Fire Nation." Breathe, "In accordance with the Accord of the North," breathe, "this… island… is now a protectorate of the Fire Nation." Breathe, "Construction of trading posts, education centers, hospitals, roads, and miscellaneous necessary structures will begin immediately." Breathe, "Resistance is futile, compliance is rewarded."

Then he looked at you and spoke in a regular volume instead of one that would echo through the whole village, "Oh," breathe, "and what exactly are you supposed to be?"

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Write-in?

"I am Stene Pliton," you said in a soft voice, but it seemed like everyone heard you through the bay, "from the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil." You paused. What you would say next, even without purposely using your power, would shake reality. In a soft whisper that was even louder than your earlier words, you hissed, "_Dovahkiin_."

The world _trembled_. The earth and air shook, less than a fraction of a millimeter at a time, but so quickly and so suddenly, it was as if reality itself hummed your title in reverence.

Zhao studied you for a moment before making a noise that would have been humming, if it were made by the dwemer machines. He seemed to be taking in your armor, "What you wear is not a material I recognize. I do not recognize this pattern on your plate either. How curious that you seem to be an earth bender and an air bender at the same time…"

Benders, as you have learned in your time in this village, were a kind of magic users who specialized in a single element. Or at least, that was what you could understand of them from Suki's descriptions.

From behind you, Oyaji had finally caught up. He was panting as he ran up beside you and hollered, "Y-You people are not welcome here on this land! T-this is… you have no claim here! We are neutral in your war, and we… we…" He was very out of breath.

Seeing this momentary pause as an opening, Zhao responded coldly, "The other world powers have all rescinded their claim to _Kyoshi_," he said this word with venom for some reason, "Island. Either with your help or without, the Fire Nation will begin its operations here."

This only caused Oyaji's cheeks to redden in an unhealthy, rosy color. He yelled in return, with spittle flying, "The Fire Nation killed my son! You monsters… you are all killers of our people… my people…!"

Zhao crossed his arms and leaned back in confidence. He intoned loudly, "The Fire Nation does not harm innocents. It would go out of its way to do otherwise, even in times of war. To have been killed by our great nation would mean your people have not been truly neutral in this world war at all."

This cool rejection only enraged the old man further. You noticed that all the children were missing, probably hidden away, or already leaving the island. Only the Kyoshi Warriors remained. When the last children disappeared, Suki stepped in to Oyaji's side and hissed at Zhao with a hatred that mirrored Oyaji's as if she had learned it from him, "Your ships are not welcome here. I don't know how you got passed the Unagi, but you should leave at once. We don't want you, who would bring nothing to this land but killers."

"Killers?" Zhao's tone implied that if he had eyebrows, he would be raising them at Suki. He leaned closer to the girl, "I do not _only_ bring killers." With a snap of his hands, the hulls of the other four ships opened, "When I said construction starts now, I meant it."

From each of the four ships, workers wearing simple cloth garbs of red, brown and grey colors marched out. The most dangerous items they had that could be used as weapons were axes, which they used immediately to cut nearby trees of a certain age and over. Behind them, dozens of other workers began unloading different construction materials.

Seeing neither Suki nor Oyaji had a word of protest immediately, Zhao mentioned offhandedly, "Our workers will find adequate farm land more inland. Those hills will be viable for rice growing. If you cooperate, I may even allow you to keep these silly cultural icons," He waved at the totem pole of Avatar Kyoshi. Then Zhao turned to you, "And what of you, strange bender? Do you have words for me as well, or are you less civilized than even they?"

From the looks of it, Suki and her Kyoshi Warriors were just an inch away from attacking a much superior foe. It was admirable that they would even die for their homes, but their foe also reminded you of the Empire that you had grown up in, in your youth. Whatever happened next, someone will be hurt. You decide to…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH the Fire Nation Navy.  
[ ] …FUS RO DAH the Kyoshi Warriors.  
[ ] …FUS RO DAH both of them.  
[ ] …Write-in?

From the looks of it, this wasn't what Suki expected either. Though Oyaji seemed to be unwilling to let go of his hatred towards the Fire Nation, you remembered that the Blades were the same. They were a lost cause, but the Kyoshi Warriors could be saved.

"Suki," you said calmly, with complete disregard for Admiral Zhao that even put the walking machine off guard. You said to her, "You reported fifteen more ships coming in, right? If they each bore this many, up to the hundreds, in numbers each, you will have no chance of winning. Now is not the time to be a martyr."

"I… but Stene…" She half-pouted and half-growled, "They…" She was at a loss for words actually, because you were behaving unlike how anyone would in this situation, at least to her point of view.

"Look," you held her shoulders and stared at her firmly, "If they attack your people, I will intervene. But unless they do so, what harm could they do?"

"They will wipe our culture and our history away, covered by theirs, is what they would do," Oyaji interrupted. "You… you stayed here for almost a month, enjoying our hospitality, yet you won't even give thanks for that? We should never have—"

"While this drama is… charming," Zhao cut in, stopping Oyaji from saying something he probably would have regretted, because it would have made you rather unhappy, probably. "Young—Stene, was it?—is right. You have no means of stopping us. I alone am enough security for this expedition, as I am a master fire bender trained by the esteemed Dragon of the West himself."

You couldn't help but at least speak for the Kyoshi Village, since they were being assimilated without being given any options. The Kyoshi Warriors, after accepting you, have treated you kindly enough. So you said, "I know that the villagers have lived here for generations, they have a right to this land. So who are you to come and take it from them?"

"Who am I indeed?" Zhao sounded like he was smirking at you through the helmet, "Before Kyoshi made this land into an island, it was home to a colony of the Fire Nation that lived here for centuries. After Chin the Conqueror took it, Kyoshi retook this land and separated it from the main continent. How do you think refugees without even money for food, after the war, would be able to reach their homes, hm? If these villagers have a claim to this land, then the Fire Nation could say the same. The four nations of the world were never so stable that they all stayed in one place. We all could say we have claim to any land. But in accordance to the treaty signed in the North Pole, the remaining two nations rescinded all claims to this entire chain of archipelagoes."

He lectured his audience smoothly, as if actually talking to a class! It was so shocking that even Oyaji only sputtered at him.

Seeing that they weren't going to slit each other's throats anymore, you pulled Suki from Oyaji and asked her, "Why is it that your village had thought me the Avatar, Suki? That was a question I wanted to ask before all of…" you waved at Zhao, "…that."

Suki bit her lower lips nervously before making a side glance at Oyaji. At this, Zhao perked up and said, "That is an interesting topic to switch to; I too would like to… know more."

Being put on the spot, Oyaji huffed, "I'm not telling either of you ruffians anything." He crossed his arms in defiance, "If you know what's good for you, you'd better leave… while you still can." He glared pointedly at Zhao.

Zhao nodded, but replied, "Empty threats scare no one of importance, villager elder. Now, girl, what is it that you know that I don't?"

To her credit, Suki didn't rise to Zhao's baiting. Instead she glanced at Oyaji again. The old man only harrumphed and turned away from her. Seeing your questioning eyes, Suki fidgeted for a moment before sighing and nodding. She said, "I'll tell you, Stene Pliton, if you really want to know."

"I do," you affirmed.

With one last glance at Oyaji, Suki turned to you adamantly and said, "…You know, I told you before, that Avatar Kyoshi split the land to create this island, right?"

You nodded once.

"Well… the earth is full of spirits, but not just the earth, but the forests and oceans as well. They were all affected by Avatar Kyoshi's actions… all… torn asunder. There…" Before she could speak further, Oyaji stomped his feet down and interrupted.

The old man yelled, "Stop, you foolish girl! That is for our people alone!"

"B-but…!"

"A village secret? That's all?" Zhao scoffed, "This village hasn't been of significance in decades. I doubt it's anything worthwhile."

"It's more dangerous than a boy like you would know," Oyaji retorted, "The spirits still howl to this day!"

"…Oh? How interesting," you could hear Zhao's smirk in his tone again.

Suki's shoulders slumped. She told the story. Even if Oyaji wanted to stop her, he couldn't. She said, "Kyoshi kept another shrine, one that would torture her enemy's spirit forever. It was a jail for the spirit of Chin the Conqueror, to be tormented by the spirits of the split earth… over time, my… our ancestors found that the torture could be used to divine the future… or a future. Just before your coming, we found that a man who could walk unseen under the sun would come, with a mastery of the four elements… but only the Avatar could be the one… and when we first met, you stopped us all with a wall of air. The last air bender that we've known about has been dead for…"

"…For fifty years," Zhao concluded. He was staring curiously at you too.

[ ] …Uh… um… FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Write-in!

"The four elements are special here, then?" You asked nonchalantly, completely ignoring the dramatic tension in the air. "In my homeland, anyone can do the same with time and effort. Suki, it's all a matter of study." You smiled down at her. She was really tiny, now that you studied her. Even with her headdress, she is still more than a head shorter than you.

Zhao took this information best of the three. He placed his hands on his hips and nodded, "That sounds like a very _spiritual_ land you come from, Stene Pliton of Cyrodiil."

"Not at all," you waved it off as nothing. Then you replied, "Admiral, you are a reasonable man. Since the villagers have lived here their whole lives, it would be bad of you to take that away. I think we can all agree that they should be able to live on their own land and by their own laws."

"Yes, exactly," Oyaji nodded behind you. "So they should get out!"

"But surely," you went on to say, as if Oyaji had not interrupted, "You don't need the whole island for a base, Admiral Zhao? You could both have what you want, if we can settle for something. Oyaji, you cannot keep them off forever, because they can keep coming. Don't let anger get the better of you."

Zhao stroked his chin before saying, "I see what you are suggesting, Stene Pliton. You are asking for an," here he used a word that you later learned from Suki that meant autonomous, "region for the villagers. Such a thing would be a risk… but… it is within my power to grant such a thing." He glanced at you, "And what of you, broker of peace? What is in this for you?"

You smiled warily at the admiral and replied, "They took me in for weeks, feeding and teaching me about this world. It is the least I can do."

That answer seemed to satisfy Zhao for the moment.

From then on, Oyaji and Zhao retreated to the largest building in the village, followed by you, Suki and someone who acted like Zhao's secretary, a rough military man named Zhang. There, they negotiated a way for the island to be split. With your help, Oyaji was able to keep half of the bay, all of his village, and an area that included the undeveloped jade node under the autonomous government of "The Island of Kyoshi", a protectorate of the Fire Nation. The rest of the chain of archipelagoes was then taken by Zhao.

Oyaji grumbled the entire way, but he knew that even if the Fire Nation allowed them to leave, it would be a harsh life for the children of the village—his grandchildren especially. He kept glaring at you however, as if expecting you to do more…

…After a kind of treaty was signed by both parties, Zhao freely 'admitted', over the map of Kyoshi Island that you have just divided over, that he was after the strategic position of this island, as well as the coal nodes of several of the smaller islands of the archipelago that had too little room for true infrastructure as well as the good climate for growing sugar cane.

It was then, that another person stormed into the meeting room. It was a girl with almost flawless skin and silky, raven hair. Adorned in a simple, yet regal outfit of red silk and gold chainmail, she would have been a beauty out of legends, if it were not for the scar over one of her eyes. It looked like someone had tried to burn her skin off, but somehow left the eye itself completely intact. She was seething, brushing roughly passed you and Suki under she was merely inches away from Zhao. Her entrance was so abrupt that no one in the room had stopped her.

With a half-growl, she hissed, "Zhao, what are you doing here?"

"Princess Azula," Zhao nodded at her before turning to you, and saying mockingly, "May I present, the _Flower_ of the Fire Nation? And may I inquire just what are you doing here, in this boondocks so far from the matters of importance?"

"You…" This princess backed away, but her tone was even more venomous now, "Zhao, you're looking for…" Then she actually looked around the room and saw you. Her eyes widened just a fraction of a millimeter, but recognition, if not of your ebony plate, then of something else sparked in her scarred eye, "…You."

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Me?  
[ ] …Write-in?

You found yourself amused. It wasn't often that you meet a princess of a nation, and even rarer still do you meet one who could be so fierce. How… tantalizing, you smirked under your helmet. With one hand, you removed your helmet and raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"…You?" She asked.

"Me?" You replied.

"Y-you!" She tried again, but stumbled on her words. Her alabaster cheeks reddened in embarrassment. It must not have been often that she was at a loss for words.

"Me," you nodded.

"You," she said at last, "S-so you're human after all."

"I never claimed not to be a man," you replied casually. "Why are you looking for me?"

Princess Azula sputtered, "Is this a joke? I can see it as well as day that you're the Eater of the World! I…"

Before she uttered another sound, Zhao coughed into his metal chassis, "Careful, Princess. Be this man or spirit, I believe I got here first."

At this rebuke, which was half-hostile, yet half-gentle, the princess seemed to snap out of her surprised. She straightened her silken robes under her armored and recomposed herself. In a much calmer tone, she said, "I have been searching for you," she stared pointedly at you, "for almost one month. From the look on your face, I can guess that none of these people around the table have told you all they know about you. As to how I know it is you, well… this scarred eye of mine is more than decoration."

Seeing this, you asked, "So what do _you_ know that I don't?"

"You seem surprised that I call you World Eater," She hummed, placing the tip of her forefinger on her lower lips sensually. Even with that strange battle scar on her eye, she seemed rather ravishing. She muttered, "But did you know that there is more than a few spirits calling for your head? Do you want to know more? Only five people in the world are privy to that information about you."

Both Suki and Oyaji seemed to want to say otherwise, but at moments they were confused by the way this Princess Azula spoke too. Did they know something about you that they were holding back? You see the tensions thick in the room. They all seemed to think that their information about you was enough to have some kind of leverage over you. You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Pick to talk more with Zhao.  
[ ] …Pick to talk more with Suki.  
[ ] …Pick to talk more with Azula.  
[ ] …Write in?

"The World Eater?" You looked at her, unimpressed. You replied, "That is a name I know very well… there is a lot we have to talk about. I don't like being lied to," you turned to Zhao, Oyaji and Suki, "nor do I like not being told. Now, was it that you think you know about me, Princess Azula?"

"Think?" She laughed lightly into one hand, before flipping a stray lock of ebony hair over her shoulder sensually. She glazed at you with lidded eyes and said, "I _know_ many things about you… but it would be best discussed in… private."

Oyaji coughed and yelled, "Now see here! I don't care who you are, but Stene won't leave with you to go to his death in your evil nation!"

Azula looked at the elder as if he was a toddler, "The _World Eater_ can do whatever he pleases, though, I assure you," she turned to you, "I have your best interests at heart."

She seemed to believe she was speaking the truth, but you are no expert at reading people and the princess has one of the best seductress/poker-face you've ever met.

Zhao added, "It is no secret to those who have power in the Fire Nation that certain elements are seeking your destruction, Stene Pliton of Cyrodiil. I can offer you protection and many other things if you come with me instead."

They all stared expectantly. You might just have to choose between them.

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Write-in.

"You have dropped many hints, Princess Azula," you growled smoothly. It seemed like everyone had vital information to point at your throat today, though you would not stand for them to pull you around like a puppet on strings. "It seems like you all know secrets about me that even I do not. I want to know everything, now."

Azula smirked as if she had already won at the others, "Then you have but to come with me to my ship. There we will have all the privacy we need."

"Fine, lead me to your ship… your highness," you added, if only to seem polite.

Zhao took this in for a moment and excused himself to oversee the construction of the barracks just outside of the village. He muttered something along the lines of, "Then we shall speak afterwards, Stene Pliton. I am not in any hurry. You are a knowledgeable man, so do be careful of my Princess's honeyed words." With a swish of his thick, black cloak, Zhao left the building.

Oyaji harrumphed and turned away from you, looking disgusted at you for some reason. He had no other words for you.

Suki just bit her lips and whispered to you, "I hope you know what you're doing, Stene."

With that, you followed Azula down to the bay, where a sixth, smaller ship was anchored. It was wider, but shorter and sleeker than the other ships. It was also crewed completely by women. Azula smirked sensually up at you again before climbing on first and saying, "Welcome to the Executor, my personal transport upon the seas, one of the newest designs in my country's naval ingenuity."

You felt shaken walking on a ship completely made of steel. There were no oars and it looked more like a furnace than a ship. Your scholarly mind wondered how this vessel even moved.

Azula led you into the captain's lodge, a small, cozy room that seemed to be heated from all size sides of the room. There were various trinkets lying about, that you no doubt she 'liberated' from her enemies. She seems to be a fan of swords.

"I'll have refreshments brought up later, if you like? I prefer jasmine tea," she sashayed casually around you. Somehow, she had already removed her armor, leaving only two rather revealing layers of silken cloths, one of which was semi-transparently, between her skin and the air. You realized she was more dangerous than you were first led to believe!

Blinking twice, you focused yourself, as you've trained yourself against distractions a long time ago. Distraction made dead men, after all. "Sure, I've never tasted this jasmine tea," you replied.

"My…" Azula giggled into her hands as if laughing at a secret joke, "My uncle would find that an atrocity. But I suppose you would like to get down to business first, no?"

"Yes, I would," you nodded.

Azula crawled onto her bed, resting against her pillows comfortably and unwittingly giving you a revealing look at her legs. You realized to your horror that she didn't even know what she was doing when she positioned herself like this; it was as if she was just doing whatever was most comfortable. She smiled a small smile up at you and said, "There are several very… dangerous elements who want you dead, World Eater. The spirits say that you do not belong in this world, and the spirits do not lie. The villagers of Kyoshi Island must have been very hopeful that you would be the Avatar… though they should know that hope only leads to disappointment. The true Avatar is a vassal of the Fire Nation, and he and his agents seek your destruction."

She moved again, as if no one told her how her skin might entice men. Then she looked up at you with half-lidded eyes, and continued, "The Lord Admiral and the villagers didn't tell you how you came into this world, did they? In all honesty, your arrival was seen by half the world—many would-be mystics said you were a sign of change or chaos… though the spirits tell me you bear the soul of the World Eater. You fell from the skies, like a shooting star. No one knew you landed here however, because Kyoshi Island was just far too remote for anyone to home in on. But… apparently that is a big deal and I am curious: is there more than one world then, if that is the case?"

"There are many worlds, Princess," you replied stiffly.

"Oh, don't be like that… 'Stene', was it? Please, call me Azula," she growled throatily.

You crossed your arms, "How do I know the trustworthiness of these… spirits, Princess? I have yet to see any that is completely truthful."

At first, Azula pouted when you called her by her title again, but then she paused. It was the first time since she walked into her room that she seemed awkward. She reached up to her scarred eye and muttered, "When I was just a young, foolish girl, I trusted the Avatar. It was silly of me, though I was stupid and cruel just as he is now. He scarred me, both physically and spiritually. With one eye, I see the world of men, but with the other, I see the spirit realm." She paused before laughing loudly, throwing her head back as her chest rose and fell, "I can't hear the spirits, but I'm a good lip reader, Stene."

"Right… Azula," you said gruffly, "and what of prophecies? Are there any of me?"

"Oh, don't be silly," Azula rolled her eyes. She replied, "There is only the rumbling of the spirits. A lot of people want change… the world, my world, is stagnant the way it is. People keep falling back onto _bending_ as if it is supposed to solve all of our problems. It limits us and makes us lazy."

You nodded again; certainly, having magic could have that affect, but you didn't trust her words completely.

"You… the spirits say you could end the Avatar Cycle," Azula smirked, but then blinked, "Oh, I see from your expression that you don't know what I am talking about? Well, the Avatar—not the reincarnations, but the actual force behind it—is a bridge between my world and the world of spirits. If that is broken then… Well, that would be fun, wouldn't it?"

She looks a little psychotic. It looks like that scar also did something to her mind. You…

[ ] …FUS RO DAH!  
[ ] …Write-in?


End file.
